In 2021, ‘Iolani’s C+CE Office was established, spearheaded by Ms. Candice Sakuda. Food4Thought, shines as an initiative showcased at ‘Iolani, engaging students in the ongoing problem of food insecurity in Hawai’i, through creative programming. From interactive lunch games to our school’s annual Thanksgiving Drive, Food4Thought educates and equips youth to take meaningful action.
Food4Thought’s mission is multifaceted, extending past food insecurity and into instilling compassion and passion for service in communities. Food4Thought is an exclusively run initiative at ʻIolani initiative, and originally born out of a conversation with the Hawaii Foodbank. With Ms. Sakuda’s extensive background in service-learning, she aims to bridge community outreach with academics, which stands as a similar mission of Hawaii Foodbank. Both institutions intend on informing communities about all the complexities and levels of engagement necessary to address food insecurity. She explains, “Food4Thought helps students understand the scope and complexities of food insecurity while empowering them to take tangible steps to address it.” However, past the loads of work and time inputted by Ms. Sakuda and the C+CE Office, Ms. Sakuda emphasizes the work done by our fellow classmates, dedicated to service and having a tremendous influence on the success of Food4Thought at ‘Iolani School.
Food4Thought facilitated a recent pop-up game during lunch, which emphasized the challenges of food insecurity and importantly the challenges of accessing nutritious foods. The game consisted of spinning a wheel which determined how many rings (higher likelihood) to use to throw at a cone. With the closer proximity cones representing high processed foods while farther cones (less likelihood) depict the difficulty of people obtaining healthier options. This engaging activity illustrates the very potent challenge of accessing healthier foods among the people in Hawaiʻi, especially those within the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) community. Marley Kim ’26 shares, “Through the Food4Thought program, I have learned so much about giving back to a community. Participating in Food4Thought has expanded my knowledge anywhere from the game, learning about the ALICE income and finding local brands to support in the prize gifted. I hope that through the Food4Thought program we were able to communicate through our game that nutrition is a luxury.”
Food4Thought hosts ‘Iolani’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, where our community donates, collects, and distributes goods to those in need. Food4Thought partners with the Institute of Human Services (IHS), which offers comprehensive services for those who are houseless, as well as Aloha Harvest, a non-profit organization that gathers surplus food from various institutions across Hawaiʻi to distribute to the less fortunate. Prior to the Thanksgiving Food Drive, Food4Thought makes sure to conduct a chapel session for all grade levels, recognizing the pressing issue that is food insecurity, allowing students to reflect on their blessings, and encouraging the student body to take action and contribute to initiatives that prioritize giving back. Tamara Lum ’25 expressed her gratitude, “I’m so grateful to be a part of Food4Thought, it really focuses on food insecurity, to a deeper level of understanding with its different themes. It also gives students ways to take action and make a difference in the community.”
Food4Thought highlights how education and community engagement can address issues like food insecurity while inspiring long-lasting change. Aligning to ‘Iolani’s “One Team” motto, the initiative has a deep impact on the student body, designating time to foster empathy and gratitude in the blessings we obtain. Beyond Food4Thought, the C+CE office strives to also benefit students on an academic measure, such as offering insight on how to advocate for policies, service, opportunities, and how to make a brighter impact on food systems.
